


Heaven help the fool who falls in love

by rose_coloured



Series: Flowers and Stardust [5]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Misunderstandings, Nature, Romance, There is a wedding, a lot of that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-11 00:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15303855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rose_coloured/pseuds/rose_coloured
Summary: Courfeyrac is a man of many talents, like baking or finding witty headlines of their flyers. Sadly admitting his own feelings is not among those talents. When he finds himself away from the bustling city of Paris on a small farm together with Jehan, it seems like there's is no way to run away from it any longer.With a wedding approaching and seemingly everybody knowing better about his feelings then himself, he wonders if maybe his feelings could be returned after all.





	Heaven help the fool who falls in love

❀ ❀ ❀

The door slumped close behind Courfeyrac and he mindlessly threw his bag in the corner before he slipped out of his shoes and headed straight towards the living room.  
University was hell, and professors were overpaid devils, and some people could just go and fuck themselves.  
Although he had just finished his last exam for the semester Courfeyrac wasn’t really in a good mood. And if he was totally honest his professor asking unfair questions in the exam wasn’t what really bugged him right now.

It had more to do with the fact, that his mum had called this morning, informing him that her husband had surprised her with a two-week cruise for their anniversary. Who even went on cruises anyway? Wasn’t that a thing for really wealthy old, white people?  
He had been looking forward to seeing his mum again, it had been almost a year since he had spent more than a few days with her and his half-brother at their new home surrounded by their new family in which he always felt alien. 

Still, he missed both dearly. 

He only had two free weeks this summer and his soul had ached for the sunny coast of his hometown. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be! And he was to sit in cloudy Paris all on his own, while his friends ventured home for at least some well-earned time off.  
Seriously, he was sure he hadn’t seen the sun in weeks, it wasn’t even raining or anything. Grey in grey the sky was pressing down on him and surrounded him like prison walls. Made of thin air, but impossible to escape from anyway.

There was only person who could save his day, at this point. 

With an ungainly thumping sound, Courfeyrac let himself fall face first onto their old sofa with the fading floral print and the slightly disgusting holes. Maybe he shouldn’t shove his face in there… Jehan, who was sitting in the tattered armchair to the sofa’s right looked up from his laptop with a slight frown. 

“You’re home late.” He took a closer look at his friend. “And you look like shit.”  
For once his words were precise instead of the long winding monologues, he liked to state about the most mundane things. He was right nonetheless. Courfeyrac sighed dramatically, and sat up on the sofa, to make space for Jehan to sit down next to him.  
As soon as the other man was seated, Courfeyrac let himself fall back again. His head on Jehan’s lap and his friends’ kind eyes trained on his face, Courfeyrac instantly felt much better. In the back of his mind a small voice piped up, nagging him about another thing on his mind, but it needed to wait.  
Preferably forever.

“What’s up?”, Jehan asked starting to run his fingers through Courfeyrac’s hair, he probably messing his curls up completely.  
Not that Courfeyrac cared.  
“Just stuff.”, he answered, not in the mood to elaborate on the thoughts that have been haunting his mind all day.

_Speaking things out loud made them real._

He didn’t want it to be real.

“Just stuff doesn’t make you look like a disgruntled puppy, so speak love.”, Jehan answered serenely. Yeah, he was having none of this silence shit. For Jehan saying your thoughts out loud came naturally, no matter how unpleasant it would be. Courfeyrac had never known him to be closed off. It was something he loved and at times loathed. Selfish to only value a trait if it is in one’s own liking.

“My mum called me that morning and told me she’ll be somewhere in the Caribbean during the two weeks when I could actually go home. And I just…” he paused, in his mind, the words always sounded a bit childish. Absentmindedly he took Jehan’s free hand, that had been resting on his arm and intertwined their fingers.  
Another selfish thing. 

“I just miss her. We had planned to stay at the seaside, but now Felix had rescheduled his business trip and he surprised her with a cruise.”  
Jehan hummed crossly, it was no secret, that he wasn’t too fond of the man, Courfeyrac’s mother had married last year. Most of that was to the fact that Courfeyrac had never said a nice word, about Felix. Since the day the man had moved in with his mother and him, he had distrusted him. After he had gone to university his mother and Felix had sold their old house and moved to another city. The memory of his father was gone, and he was nothing more than a guest. 

 

“How even goes on cruises? Aren’t they like for really old and boring people?” Courfeyrac chuckled lightly, at least somebody was sharing his thoughts on cruises. “What about Thomas? Won’t he be at home?”  
“I already asked my Mum, but apparently Felix has planned him to some kind of summer camp. Apparently, he is in desperate need of exercise and discipline, whatever that is supposed to mean for a nine-year-old.”  
“Yeah, definitely. He’s just the sweetest kid I have ever met. Your stepdad really is an asshole.”, Jehan concluded and Courfeyrac groaned at the expression. “Don’t ever call him that again. He’s just a guy. A guy I have to get along with for like three days each year by now. And I barely make it.”  
A guy he could very much live without.  
Jehan wanted to add something to this when the familiar sound of an incoming skype-call came from his laptop. “Ah shit, I promised my Mum that we could talk, do you mind?”  
“Can I stay?” Courfeyrac made sure to show off his best sad puppy look and Jehan laughed while trying somehow to grab the laptop without suffocating his friend. “Of course, you can. I am sure my Mum has missed seeing your stupid face.”

Sure, enough when Jehan answered the call the faces of not only one but three women popped up on the screen. All of them were obviously related to Jehan, they all had the same brown eyes, reddish hair, and countless freckles. Courfeyrac wasn’t sure if he had met all of them before, Jehan had so many aunts it was kind of hard to keep track of who was who.  
“Hi, Mum!”, Courfeyrac actually sat up, as Jehan started talking, to face the three women properly. Yeah, he still had no clue who was who.  
Except for Jehan’s mum, she was the youngest one of her sisters and, when looking at her people suddenly understood where her son’s taste in eclectic fashion came from. As always, she was a sight to see, her hair braided with colourful ribbons woven into the hair and an ensemble of necklaces dangling around her neck. 

“Hello, my love! Ah isn’t this my dear Olivier? Good to see you again my boy!” Courfeyrac greeted her back. She was right, it had been some time since he last randomly stumbled into one of the Prouvaire-skype-session. They usually included a lot of really fast talking and various animals held up to the camera.  
“And I don’t think you have met my dear sisters until now.”, Jehan’s mother said gesturing to the two women next to her. “You are the infamous Courfeyrac? Neither Isabeu nor Jehan ever shut up about you, you truly must be charming.”, the first one said with a smirk on her face. From the corner of his eye, Courfeyrac saw Jehan shuffle around looking at the screen quite nervously. 

“Anyway,” the woman concluded, when Jehan’s mother shot her a glare, “I am Marie-Thérèse.”  
“And I am Élisabeth.”, the other woman added much more earnest, but still with a friendly expression.  
The two of them couldn’t be more different despite looking so much alike. Élisabeth held herself with the grace of a middle-aged woman, who had worked her whole life. The seriousness of her life was carved into the crinkles in her face.  
Marie-Thérèse seemed much more youthful, despite not really seeming that much younger. It was the spark in her eyes, the one Courfeyrac knew all too well from Jehan. It was a promise of playful mischief and unforeseeable events, thrust upon a willing soul, who dared to play along. 

“What we actually wanted to talk about, was when you’d come home for the wedding. Adélaïde is already on the brink of a nervous breakdown because her husband is having more crazy ideas for the ceremony every day and her boss can’t let her leave until three days before the wedding and we could really need your help as soon as possible.” All that was said without Isabeau even taking a breath. She could talk on and on without a pause for eternity, Courfeyrac knew that. 

The wedding. Jehan had mentioned it at the beginning of the year, his family was going crazy. Adélaïde was the first of them to get married so all her sisters have been stressed out since the proposal was made official. Jehan was smiling broadly at his mother, his hand one more has found Courfeyrac’s and he laced their fingers together one more.  
“I’ll write my last exam on Thursday, so I will be home Friday evening. We’ll have enough time. Have you at least finally found a dress?”  
“Oh, don’t even get me started sweetheart! Adélaïde just can’t choose one! I am actually surprised she could settle on one husband.”, Élisabeth pitched in rolling her eyes fondly. “One day she wants to look like a princess, other days she insists she’s too old for that.”  
“Hush! We’ll figure it out.”, Isabeu broke her off turning to the two men again. “But tell Olivier, how have you been? You look tired, my boy! What are your plans for the summer?”

And there it was again. The reminder, that while Jehan was organizing the biggest party his home has ever seen and his other friends were home spending time with their families, he would sit in cloudy grey Paris.  
“Not much. My Mum is on vacation, so I’ll stay in Paris.”, he mumbled. Jehan sensing his turmoil pressed a reassuring kiss to his cheek. And Courfeyrac let his eyes fall closed for just a second.  
“Why don’t you come along?”, it was Marie-Thérèse, who spoke up, that sparkle in her eyes. Suddenly Courfeyrac felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand, where Jehan had accidentally scratched him. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose, it’s a family affair after all!”, Courfeyrac was fast to answer. Still, the idea of spending two weeks with Jehan far away from the city was compelling. He had never seen his friend’s home, but from what he had seen in pictures and heard in the stories it must be the most beautiful place on earth.  
“Fiddlesticks! A friend of Jehan is a friend of the family. Also, this wedding is supposed to be the best party ever held in this boring house, so the more the merrier!”, Isabeu stated winking at them.  
“I can see it in your eyes, you wanted to invite him along anyway, didn’t you?”, she asked her son, who looked up from fiddling with the tips of his braids.  
Jehan blushed lightly, not meeting Courfeyrac’s eyes. “I thought about it before actually. But then you said you’d go to see your mum. But I mean, if you’d like to…” he trailed off looking up at his friend with a nervous smile.  
“I mean if your family, doesn’t mind, of course, I’m in!”

❀ ❀ ❀ 

Well, Courfeyrac thought to himself when their train finally arrived at the small station close to Jehan’s home, Jehan had been right when he had said he lived awfully far away from Paris. They had spent almost the whole Friday on different trains or at ugly stations waiting for their next one. And the day had been hot so that Courfeyrac felt perfectly exhausted by now and not really in the best condition to get to know Jehan’s family at the farm. 

But at least the clouds were gone. They had left the sticky and humid weather of the city behind them and wind was blowing, cooling of his sweaty skin at least a bit.  
His companion didn’t look much better, several strands of hair had loosened out of his braid and were plastered to the sides of Jehan’s face. “We’ll have to take the bus for another fifteen minutes and after that, it’s only a short walk, I promise.”, he sounded defeated by the heat and he led Courfeyrac to the right bus stop in an uncommon silence.  
Sure enough, the bus ride was only another fifteen minutes in a rusty bus, which green colour was already fading. It didn’t have an aircon, but since the ancient looking windows didn’t close it was at least kind of comfortable. Courfeyrac had never witnessed Jehan this silent. Usually, he was bursting with things to tell and pictures which had to be painted with words. 

But while they both watched the colourful fields and dark green forests through the windows, it seemed like Jehan was in a completely different world. His eyes were focused on the nature around them as if he wanted to drink in every single tree and flower.  
They got off the bus at the last stop and Courfeyrac was pretty sure, that they couldn’t even walk further away from any kind of civilization if they had tried. But Jehan once more proved him wrong. The “short walk” must have been the understatement of the century. The last village with more than three houses was at least two kilometers away, but still, there was no sign of the farm.  
With a now truly broad smile, Jehan led him along a small rocky path, which soon dissolved into the soft earthy grounds of a thick forest.  
Suddenly Courfeyrac understood why Jehan had tried to prevent him from taking his trolley case – it got stuck every few meters, making him almost fall onto his face just as often.  
While Jehan seemed to carry his giant holdall with stunning ease, he stumbled over non-existent roots. Courfeyrac had lifted it Jehan’s bag, it must have weighed at least 50 pounds. Yet he was almost skipping along the path looking curiously around the forest like he was trying to recognize an old friend.  
It took them another small eternity but at some point, they finally reached the end of the forest and light broke through the branches.  
When they stepped out of the shades Courfeyrac unconsciously held his breath, completely stunned by what he saw in front of him.

In front of them lay broad green pastures, softly framed by the woods. A small lake sparkled between a few tall oak trees in the distance. Amidst the green fields and paddocks lay a house surrounded by a small group of orchards. Only a small blue brook and a dirty farm road cut through the seemingly endless green. It was like he had walked straight into a fairy tale. 

“Come on, now it’s really just a bit until we’re there.”, Jehan said and all his usual enthusiastic personality was back. They walked along another small path, Jehan chattering about the farm, how his two oldest aunts have been in charge for decades and how growing up in the middle of nowhere was.  
“My mom had to drive me the thirty minutes to school each day during winter, in the summer I took my bike which took me about almost an hour. Not that I really minded but it was tiresome at some days. Still better than living in the city, it’s way too loud.”

Courfeyrac suddenly could understand why Jehan had been plagued by migraines and general discomfort during their first years at university when they had been assigned, roommates. Out here there was nothing but a somehow eerie silence and the sounds of wildlife. Courfeyrac was sure he would go crazy if he had to live out here all alone.  
The paddocks closer to the houses were occupied as Courfeyrac noticed as a series of loud mooing sounds broke their silence. And sure enough, a herd of cows was laying under a small group of trees. On the other side of their path, some donkeys and horses were grazing, not paying any attention to them.  
Well, not until Jehan let out a whistle, that almost made Courfeyrac stumble over nothing in surprise. The animals raised their heads and one of the horses came trotting towards them shaking its head.

It was gigantic if you asked Courfeyrac, and pitch-black with glossy fur. Only its long ears made it look somewhat friendly. But Jehan had already let his luggage fall to the ground and climbed on top of the wooden fence greeting the animal.  
“Look who’s back! Ah, how I missed you!”, he scratched the horse behind its ears and it started to eagerly nudge his side with its nose, almost sending Jehan flying off the fence. “Hey! I don’t have anything right now. But I’ll come back later.”, he laughed before jumping down from the fence, grabbing his luggage and turning to Courfeyrac. “I’m sorry, you probably want to get to the house as fast as possible. I just haven’t been here in a while and I missed the animals.”  
Courfeyrac only shrugged. “It’s fine, that was actually quite cute to watch. I never knew you were that much of a farm child. Kind of cute, to be honest.”  
“Ugh, there’s nothing cute once we’ll get to muck the stables out.”, Jehan shot back with a wink.  
“Wait, we’ll do what??” 

❀ ❀ ❀

It took them only a few more minutes until they reached the farmhouse and the surrounding barns. All of them were painted in a washed out red, the paint starting to chip off on various spots and the roof of the main house was slightly askew. Despite the slightly ragged appearance, the outside of the houses was tidy, no tools were out of place. A smaller path led around the main house towards the big garden. Jehan had told him, that he had been planting some of the flowerbeds himself as soon as he had been able to hold a watering can. 

But right now, they didn’t follow the path but instead turned towards the front door. Courfeyrac unsuccessfully searched for a bell.  
“We don’t have one. People just walk in or look for us outside.”, Jehan explained and then opened the door, letting Courfeyrac step into the house and closing the door behind the two of them.  
Inside the house, they were greeted by the sounds of several people pottering around with pots and pans. The delicious smell of dinner filled the air and Courfeyrac was ready to basically drop dead on the ground. He Hadn’t had anything to eat since this morning at 5 am. The hallway was surprisingly big and cluttered with raincoats, boots, and dirty work shoes, somehow it still looked peculiarly clean. 

The crash of the door closing hadn’t been heard by anyone in the kitchen, so Jehan motioned Courfeyrac to take off his shoes and led him towards the room.  
When they stepped into the kitchen, the loud chatter stopped immediately. Before he could even take in the room Courfeyrac was surrounded by three women who took turns hugging Jehan, welcoming him home. Once they were done and he was pretty sure, that there were tears in the corners of his best friends’ eyes the women focused on Courfeyrac.  
Isabeau was the first to step forward and engulf him in a hug. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person my boy!”, she stepped aside and Marie-Thérèse was the next. The woman had to stand on her tiptoes to be able to embrace him. “Jehan has been talking about you non-stop, I am curious if you will be able to live up to your reputation!” Jehan shushed her immediately, turning red as the flowers on the windowsill.  
At last Élisabeth stepped forward greeting him with a firm handshake. “Welcome, my boy. I hope you’ll enjoy yourself here and have a great time.”

❀ ❀ ❀

It wasn’t until they were taking their seats to eat dinner together, that Courfeyrac met the fourth current resident of the farm. Jehan had been telling him a lot about his family, so Courfeyrac knew that his oldest aunt was living on the farm as well, she had been keeping it for many decades after their father had died. But apart from that, he didn’t really have much information, only that she wasn’t the most sociable person. And true the first thing he heard of her was an exasperated voice coming from the front door.

He couldn’t really make out, what she was saying. Soon enough the door to the kitchen flew open and a tall woman walked inside followed by a man, who looked a lot like a fairly important businessman – the kind of character that truly didn’t fit their cozy setting. Her completely grey hair was braided in an elaborate braid, which as Courfeyrac knew from Jehan, needed a hell lot of experience and patience, not a strand of hair was out of place. In the dim light of the kitchen the look she shot the man looked absolutely dangerous. 

“Listen! I have no idea how many more times I’ve got to repeat it to you. But I will not sell any part of my land for that price. It’s worth at least twice the money, don’t take me for a fool.”, there was no real anger in her voice, but it was cold as ice.  
“But it’s a onetime offer!”, the man shot back.  
“An offer I don’t want to take. I didn’t ask you to make it and I didn’t ask you to get into my house, so get out of here.”  
After a last angry stare, the man turned around and stomped along the hallway, mumbling about witches and evil women.  
“I really wish I was a witch I could at least keep him away.”, she said before she closed the door and turned around with a grim smile on her face. When her eyes fell on Jehan and Courfeyrac the smile grew more genuine. 

“Ah, at least two friendly faces on such a day.”, she exclaimed, totally ignoring her sister’s protests, while she walked up to the two of them half-hugging Jehan over the table and shaking Courfeyrac’s hand. “I am Éléonore, it’s nice to meet you.”  
“And you don’t count as friendly faces, you left me to repair the fence all on my own.” She shot her sisters a mockingly angry glare before she sat down, and they began to eat.  
It was weird, how despite being an outsider, Courfeyrac felt at home easily among Jehan’s family. Soon enough he found himself laughing along to their jokes and he Marie-Thérèse to promise that she would bring out the old photo albums the next evening. Jehan promised that he would stay up all night tearing pictures into small pieces, so nobody had to see his awkward childhood pictures. 

 

It was late when they had finished washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Most of the other women were already off to bed, their days began terribly early as Courfeyrac had discovered. Only Isabeu came down into the kitchen once more, just as they were putting away the plates. She had her hair open now and the way it flowed over her shoulder made her look much younger and gave her an uncanny similarity to her son.  
“I almost forgot to tell you, that the two of you will have to share your room if you don’t mind. The other rooms will be used for wedding guests and we aren’t done preparing them, yet. I hope that’s okay…”, she looked between them and Courfeyrac only shrugged, shooting Jehan a questioning glance. “Yeah it’s okay mom, don’t worry.”  
“Good. I am off to bed, see you tomorrow. Good night.”  
After they had finished up in the kitchen they finally gathered all their luggage and stumbled up the seemingly endless stairway to the second floor. “My room is just under the roof, so I really hope my mom opened the window or it will be stuffy as hell.”, Jehan sighed as he dragged his bag over the floor.

 

The window of his room had been open and so Courfeyrac was greeted by a light breeze of night air. He didn’t see much in the darkness until Jehan turned on several fairy lights, which bathed the room in a soft warm light. Right now, Courfeyrac didn’t really acknowledge, how the room looked he just followed the direction Jehan gave him towards the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. It was after midnight and they had been awake since 4 am, all he wanted to do right now was sleep and never get up again.  
When he got back to the bedroom Jehan was already sitting under the covers of the king-sized bed, that was standing right under a big window, braiding his hair. “You don’t mind if we share, do you?”, he asked stifling a yawn “My mom didn’t set up an air mattress and I am way too tired to care about that right now if that’s okay with you?”  
If it was okay with him… A part of his brain reminded Courfeyrac, that no it probably was a terrible idea. But since he was almost falling asleep every time he blinked, Courfeyrac knew that there was no way he would protest.  
Not if he could fall into bed next to Jehan and finally get some well-deserved sleep. 

He could worry about it tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the product of many, many daydreams and the fact that I read all of the 'Anne of Greengables' books within two weeks.


End file.
